How to Calculate Board Feet for Lumber Orders
Lumber is priced by the board foot - a unit that confuses everyone the first time they encounter it. One board foot equals 144 cubic inches of wood, or equivalently a piece 1 inch thick by 12 inches wide by 12 inches long. The catch is that nominal lumber dimensions (like a 2×4) don't match actual dimensions, and whether you use nominal or actual measurements changes your total. Get this wrong on a large framing order and your material costs are off before the first board is cut.
This guide explains the board foot formula, clears up the nominal vs. actual dimension confusion, and shows the per-linear-foot board footage for common lumber sizes. Use the BidFlow Board Foot Calculator to enter any combination of thickness, width, length, and piece count - it returns board feet per piece, total board footage, and optional cost at your current price-per-board-foot.